Remotely adjustable filling head

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for remote adjustment of a filling head on a rotary filling machine to vary the quantity of material to be metered into a container during a filling operation. The apparatus includes a pneumatically operated ratchet nut on the filling head connected through a rotary union on the filling machine to a control panel for generating air signals to incrementally drive the ratchet nut.

waited States Patent [19] Leonard 1 Sept. 17, 1974 1 REMOTELY ADJUSTABLE FILLING HEAD [75] Inventor: George E. Leonard, Davenport,

Iowa

[73] Assignee: The Kartridge Pak Co., Davenport,

Iowa

[22] Filed: Nov. 13, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 306,017

[52] U.S. Cl 141/152, 92/13.1, 141/367 [51] Int. Cl B651) 43/50 [58] Field of Search 141/152, 367, 183, 190;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,690,865 10/1954 Fischer et a1. 141/152 X 3,065,740 11/1962 Wiedmann et a1 92/l3.1 X

3,180,478 4/1965 Stanley ct al. 198/34 3,333,418 8/1967 Harvey 92/l318 X 3,628,698 12/1971 Allen 141/367 X Primary ExaminerLouis R. Prince Assistant Examiner-Charles E. Phillips Attorney, Agent, or FirmLockwood, Dewey, Zickert & Alex [5 7 ABSTRACT Apparatus for remote adjustment of a filling head on a rotary filling machine to vary the quantity of material to be metered into a container during a filling operation. The apparatus includes a pneumatically operated ratchet nut on the filling head connected through a rotary union on the filling machine to a control panel for generating air signals to incrementally drive the ratchet nut.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures REMOTELY ADJUSTABLE FILLING HEAD This invention relates in general to rotary filling machines, and more particularly to apparatus for remotely adjusting the filling heads while the machine is operating to vary the quantity of material to be metered into a container during a filling operation.

The production packaging of aerosol products requires the filling of an aerosol container with product and a propellant. One of the well known methods of carrying out the filling steps is readily appreciated from the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,180,478, owned by the assignee of the present application, wherein a rotating turntable having a plurality of operating stations receives containers filled with product and a closure cap loosely situated at the upper open end of each container. The cap is first elevated and the open area of the container above the product is evacuated to remove volatiles and the like. Next, a metered quantity of propellant under pressure is delivered into the container and followed by the seating and the sealing of the cup to the container. Each operating station includes a crimping head and a propellant pressure filling'head. The filling head includes means permitting adjustment to vary the quantity of propellant to be metered therefrom, it being appreciated that the quantity of propellant needed for a container depends upon the container size and product level in the container. In order to safely adjust the filling head to vary the quantity of propellant to be metered, the machine must be stopped, thereby interrupting production. Tools are then used to manually effect the adjustment. Heretofore some operators have attempted to make the adjustmentswhile the machine is operating, but such is hazardous to the operator and may cause serious inury.

The present invention obviates the difficulties of adjusting the pressure filling heads as above mentioned in connection with heretofore known machines and provides an apparatus for permitting adjustment while the machine is in operation. While the adjusting mechanism will be described as being associated with a propellant filling head, it should be appreciated it could be likewise used on a product filling head or wherever there is a need for adjustment of a stop member along a threaded shaft member.

The adjusting mechanism includes a pneumatically actuated ratchet nut mountable on the propellant pressure filling head. The air pressure lines are connected through a rotary union on the machine to a control panel for producing air signals or pulses to effect operation of the ratchet nut for increasing or decreasing the fill. The control panel can be remotely located to facilitate operation and eliminate the problem of heretofore known machines.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for enabling the remote adjustment of a filling head of a rotary filling machine to permit fill adjustment while the machine is operating, thereby eliminating down time and production losses and further eliminating the unsafe practice of an operator reaching onto a moving machine to adjust the fill.

A further object of this invention is in the provision of a pneumatically operated ratchet nut on a filling head for varying the quantity of material to be metered by the head into a container and which is operated by a control panel for producing air signals that are delivered to the moving filling heads through a rotary union on the filling machine.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a rotary aerosol filling machine with some parts broken away and generally illustrating the apparatus for adjusting the filling heads on the machine;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the pressure filling head adjusting system according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the rotary union utilized in the adjusting system of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken through the rotating member of the rotary union and generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken through one of the air rings of the rotary union which are stationary during operation of the machine;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of one of the ratchet nut assemblies mountable on the pressure filling head;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the ratchet nut assembly shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a detailed sectional view of the nut taken substantially along line 1010 of FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, a rotary aerosol filling machine of the type on which the pressure filling head adjustment system of the present invention may be utilized is illustrated. It should be appreciated that this rotary aerosol filling machine is of the type disclosed in the aforementioned patent and generally includes a rotating turntable 10 suitably supported for rotation on a base 11 and having mounted thereon a plurality of crimper heads 12 and propellant pressure filler heads 13. Typically, one crimper head and one pressure filler head will comprise a single operating station on the turntable which will perform the necessary operations on a container including evacuation of volatiles, pressure filling of a propellant, and seating and sealing of a closure cap. As more specifically set forth in the aforesaid patent, a container 14 is shown in position in connection with the crimper head, it being appreciated that containers filled with product are delivered to the turn-table in alignment with a crimper head which thereafter associates in sealed relation with the container during handling of the closure cap, the evacuation, the pressure filling of a propellant, and the seating and sealing of the closure cap onto the container. A vacuum line 15 is connected from a central power head 16 to each of the crimper heads for effecting the evacuation of the container. Pressurized hydraulic line 17 connects from the central power head to the crimper head for delivering hydraulic fluid for operating the crimper head. A propellant line 18 connects between a pressure filling head 13 and each of the crimper heads for delivering a metered quantity of propellant into the container.

Each propellant pressure filling head 13 includes a guide tube 22 extending from it at the upper end for guiding the stem of a piston coacting with a metering chamber. A stop pin 23 connected to the piston stem and movable along a slot formed in the guide tube controls the size of the metering chamber by virtue of the upper position it can take when the metering chamber is being filled. The guide tube is externally threaded and heretofore a simple nut was provided on the guide tube for movement therealong to act as a stop for the stop pin. According to the present invention, a pneumatically operated ratchet nut assembly 25 is provided on the guide tube of each filling head and movable up and down the guide tube in response to air signals to vary the stop position for the stop pin and thereby control the quantity of propellant to be metered from the filling head. It should also be recognized the ratchet nut assembly may be powered by other servo mechanisms, such as electrically powered devices. As above mentioned, while the ratchet nut assembly is shown on a propellant filling head, it could be readily used on other filling heads, such as one for metering a quantity of product to a container. Moreover, while the invention is illustrated in connection with the handling of aerosol containers, it could be utilized with other containers.

Each ratchet nut is pneumatically connected to a rotary union or connection 26 on the central power head 16. Air signals are delivered to the ratchet nuts of the pressure filling heads through the rotary union 26 from a control panel 27, as seen in FIG. 2.

The ratchet nut assembly 25 is shown in FIGS. 6 to and includes a base 32 rotatably supporting a ratchet 33 having a ratchet wheel portion 34 and a nut assembly 35 connected to the ratchet and threadedly engaging the guide tube 22. The base also supports first and second air motors 36 and 37, each of which respectively include actuating heads 38 and 39. Each of the actuating heads 38 and 39 respectively includes pawls 40 and 41, pivotally carried on pins 42 and 43. A single U-shaped spring 44 is provided for biasing the pawls 40 and 41 so that in their retracted position, as seen by the pawl 40, it is biased against a stop pin 45. A similar stop pin 46 is provided for the pawl 41. When in retracted position, the pawl is then ready for its next operating stroke to engage a tooth on the ratchet wheel portion 34. As the pawls moves through its operating stroke, it is driven against the spring, as seen by the position of the pawl 41.

In order to stabilize the ratchet nut and hold it in position between operating strokes of the pawls, a spring biased detent is provided in the form of a roller 47 rotatably mounted on a pin 48 held on the head end 49 of a stem 50 which is guidably movable through an opening in the base. A spring 51 is bottomed on one end against the head 49 of the stem and at the other end against the base to continually bias the roller 47 against the teeth of the ratchet wheel portion 34 of the ratchet 33. In order to prevent rotation of the ratchet nut assembly relative to the guide tube 22 during operation so as to effectively move the ratchet nut along the guide tube 22, a pin 52 is carried by the assembly.

The pin 52 is carried by a torque collar 53 held against the rotation relative the body 32 by means of a clamping washer 54 that is in turn secured in place by a plurality of fasteners 55. Accordingly, if desired, the relative adjustment of the guide pin 52 to the body of the ratchet assembly can be changed. As seen most clearly in FIG. 6, the pin 52 slides vertically through the slot 56 formed in the threaded guide tube 22.

The nut assembly 35 includes a base 58 having an opening formed therethrough which aligns with an opening 59 extending through the ratchet 33 and an opening 60 extending through the guide pin collar 53. Part of the opening extending through the nut assembly 35 is defined by a semi-cylindrical smooth portion 61 and a part of the opening is defined by a substantially semi-cylindrical threaded portion 62. The threaded portion 62 is movable toward the smooth portion 61 by means of a set screw 62a that may be locked into place by a lock nut 62b. A pair of springs 63, FIG. 10, are provided for the threaded portion 62 in order to retract the threaded portion 62 from the threads of the guide tube when the set screw 62a is released. With the threaded portion 62 retracted, it can readily be seen that the entire ratchet nut assembly can be easily advanced up or down the guide tube to provide rapid adjustment. When the proper position is attained, movement of the threaded portion 62 back into engagement with the threads on the guide tube and locking it into position by means of the set screw 62a brings the ratchet nut assembly again into threaded engagement with the guide tube.

It will be appreciated that there will be a ratchet nut assembly for each of the propellant filling heads to be individually operable for adjusting a single filling head.

An air signal to one of the pneumatic cylinders will cause rotation of the ratchet nut in one direction to increase the quantity of propellant to be filled, while operation of the other pneumatic cylinder would operate to decrease the quantity of propellant fill. Accordingly, the stroke of the metering piston will be changed by the adjustment of the ratchet nut assembly to change the size of the fill of the filling head.

The rotary union 26 which connects air lines between the ratchet nut assemblies and the control panel is shown in detail in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The rotary union 26 is mounted on a vertical shaft 64 which rotates with the turntable. The union includes a center manifold 65 which is suitably secured to the shaft 64 and therefore rotatable therewith and a stack of superposed air rings 66 defining a stationary part of the union. Accordingly, air line connections from the filling heads are connected to the movable center manifold, while air line connections from the control panel are connected to the stack of stationary air rings.

The center manifold is in the form of an elongated sleeve including an outer cylindrical surface 67 having a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced inlet ports 68, each of which communicates with one of the air rings 66. Each inlet port 68 is connected through a passageway 69 formed in the manifold to an outlet port 70 arranged at the lower end of the manifold and connected by suitable air lines to the ratchet nut assemblies on the pressure filling heads. The lower end of the center manifold rests against a collar 71 carried on the shaft 64.

Each air ring 66 is identical and of a width that when placed in abutting relation with each other aligns with one of the inlet ports 68 of the center manifold. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, each air ring 66 includes an inner wall 73 in sliding engagement with the center manifold and includes an annular groove 74 communicating with a passageway 75 connecting to an inlet port 76 at the outer wall 77. A suitable air line will connect between each of the inlet ports 76 and the control panel. Each air ring 66 includes an annular shoulder 78 at the inner wall for receiving an O-ring 79 that serves to seal along the sliding surface of the center manifold. An additional O-ring 80 is received in an annular groove 81 formed in the upper radial wall 82 of each air ring to seal between adjacent air rings.

The stack of air rings 66 is maintained in tight fitting relation by means of an upper clamping washer 83 and a lower clamping washer 84 tightly drawn together by a plurality of circumferentially spaced nut and bolt assemblies 85. The lowermost clamping washer 84 bears against a lower thrust bearing 86 which is supported by a lower thrust washer 87 on the center manifold and in abutting engagement against a shoulder 88 formed on the center manifold. An upper thrust bearing 89 is in engagement with the upper clamping washer 83 and held in place relative to the center manifold 65 by means of a bearing retaining ring 90. By virtue of the O-ring seals on the upper side of the air rings, the uppermost air ring is in sealing engagement with the upper clamping washer. The lower clamping washer 84 has formed an inner O-ring shoulder 91 for receiving an inner O-ring 92 and an upper annular O-ring groove for receiving O-ring 94 which bears against the underside of the lowermost air ring. Inasmuch as the particular rotary union illustrated is intended to serve nine pressure filling heads, each of which requires two air lines, there are 18 air rings on the rotary union associated with 18 inlet ports on the center manifold communicating with 18 outlet ports through 18 passages formed in the center manifold. It can be appreciated that the rotary union may be provided with a greater or lesser number of air rings to provide the desired number of air pressure lines for transmitting air pressure to the ratchet nut assemblies of the pressure filling heads.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a single ratchet nut assembly 25 includes two air lines 100 and 101 for connection to outlet ports 70 on the rotating portion of the rotary union. Accordingly, these two air lines are connected through the rotary union 26 and ultimately to the control panel 27. The control panel is connected to a suitable pressurized air source 102 that connects to one side of a plurality of three-way push-button operated air valves 103 for effecting rotation of the ratchet nuts in one direction and push-button air valves 104 for effecting rotation of the ratchet nuts in the other direction. For example, the push-button air valves 103, when depressed, could be connected to effect rotation of the ratchet nuts of each ratchet nut assembly in a direction to cause movement of the nut in an upward direction and thereby increase the fill, while the pushbutton valves 104 would be connected to the ratchet nut assemblies for effecting rotation of the ratchet nut in a direction to move it downwardly and thereby decrease the quantity of propellant to be metered from the pressure filling head. Each ratchet nut assembly 25 would therefore be connected to a pair of push-button valves, one of which would be a valve in the line of valves 103, while the other of which would be a valve in the line of valves 104. In this respect, one of the valves would effect actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 36, while the other would effect actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 37. Depression of one of the valves would produce an air signal for one of the pneumatic cylinders and cause operation of the pawl associated therewith to drive the ratchet nut one increment in one direction. Release of the push-button valve would then cause exhausting of the pneumatic cylinder whereby a spring would drive the pawl back through the retracting stroke to the position shown by the pawl 40. Thereafter, the pawl could be advanced again to drive the nut through another increment, if desired to appropriately increase or decrease the quantity of propellant to be metered from the filling head. Accordingly, by pressing one of the valves 103, the fill size of the filling machine may be increased a finite amount, while pressing of one of the other buttons 104 would decrease the fill size a finite amount.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention, but it is understood that this application is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. In a rotary packaging machine including a tumtable having a plurality of operating stations for filling containers wherein a filling head at each station is provided for metering a quantity of material into a container, the improvement in means for adjusting the filling head while the machine is operating to vary the quality of material to be metered from the filling head to a container, said means comprising air operated means on said filling head having a rotating member and means for driving same in one direction responsive to one air signal to increase the quantity to be metered and in the opposite direction responsive to another air signal to decrease the quantity to be metered, a control panel having valve means and being connected to a source of air pressure to selectively discharge air signals, and a rotary union connected between said control panel and said air operated means including a stationary member for receiving the air signals and connected to the control panel and a movable member rotating with said tum-table discharging the air signals and connected to said air operated means.

2. The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein said rotating member of said air operated means includes a ratchet wheel portion, and said means for driving said rotating member includes first and second pneumatically driven pawls engagable with said ratchet wheel portion, one of said pawls for driving the ratchet wheel portion in one direction and the other of said pawls for driving it in the opposite direction.

3. The improvement defined in claim 2, wherein said control panel includes first and second valves for each air operated means to control air signals for said first and second pneumatically driven pawls.

4. The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein said rotating member of said air operated means includes a ratchet nut mounted on a threaded member and defining a stop for a quantity control member of the filling head, and said means for driving said rotating member includes first and second pneumatically driven pawls coacting with said ratchet nut, one of said pawls for driving the ratchet nut in one direction for increasing the quantity of material to be metered and the other of said pawls for driving the nut in the opposite direction for decreasing the quantity of material to be metered.

5. The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein the movable member of said rotary union is in the form of a manifold having an elongated cylindrical surface and includes inlets connected to said control panel, axially spaced outlets along said cylindrical surface, and said stationary member includes a plurality of stacked air rings on said cylindrical surface, each air ring having an annular groove inlet in communication with one of said outlets and an outlet port connected to an air operated means of a filling head.

6. In a rotary packaging machine including a rotatably driven turntable having a plurality of operating stations for filling containers wherein a filling head at each station is provided for metering a quantity of material into a container, each filling head including a threaded shaft and a control member movable relative to the shaft and controlling the quantity of material metered, the improvement in means for adjusting the filling head while the machine is operating to vary the quantity of material to be metered for a container, said means comprising nut means on the threaded shaft of said filling head defining a rotating stop member coacting with said control member and having first means for driving said stop member incrementally in one direction responsive to one signal to increase the material quantity to be metered and second means for driving same incrementally in the opposite direction responsive to another signal to decrease the material quantity to be metered, a control panel having manually operable selector means for producing said signals, and rotary connection means said control panel and said stop member driving means including a stationary member operably connected to said control panel and a movable member rotating with said turntable and operably connected to said first and second driving means, said rotary connection means serving to distribute signals from said control panel to one of said plurality of filling heads while said turntable is rotating.

7. The improvement defined in claim 6, wherein said stop member includes a ratchet wheel, and said first and second driving means includes first and second pawls engagable with said ratchet wheel.

8. The improvement defined in claim 7, wherein said first and second driving means includes pneumatically operable motors.

9. The improvement defined in claim 8, wherein said signal producing means of said control panel includes a source of air pressure and valve means connected to the source and the said connection means.

10. The improvement defined in claim 9, wherein said valve means include push-button actuators.

11. The improvement defined in claim 6, wherein the threaded shaft includes a longitudinal slot and the control member includes a stop pin movable in the slot, and the adjusting means includes a pin movable in the slot and preventing relative rotation between the shaft and adjusting means.

12. The improvement defined in claim 6, wherein said nut means includes a first generally semicylindrical portion having a smooth face, a second generally semi-cylindrical portion having a threaded face, and means moving said portions relative each other to cause the nut means to be in or out of threaded engagement with the threaded shaft of the filling machine.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION E Patent No. 3, 35, 9 Dated September 7, 97

Inventor (s) George E. Leonard It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 3, line &9, change "pawls" to --'p'aw1--;

1 line 66, after "against" delete "the"; and Col. 7, line 31, after "means" insert -'--between--.

Signed and' sealed this 21st day of January 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY M. GIBSON'. JR. 3. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents OM14 PO-10 USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 9 ".5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 19, 0-365-334, 

1. In a rotary packaging machine including a turntable having a plurality of operating stations for filling containers wherein a filling head at each station is provided for metering a quantity of material into a container, the improvement in means for adjusting the filling head while the machine is operating to vary the quality of material to be metered from the fillIng head to a container, said means comprising air operated means on said filling head having a rotating member and means for driving same in one direction responsive to one air signal to increase the quantity to be metered and in the opposite direction responsive to another air signal to decrease the quantity to be metered, a control panel having valve means and being connected to a source of air pressure to selectively discharge air signals, and a rotary union connected between said control panel and said air operated means including a stationary member for receiving the air signals and connected to the control panel and a movable member rotating with said turn-table discharging the air signals and connected to said air operated means.
 2. The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein said rotating member of said air operated means includes a ratchet wheel portion, and said means for driving said rotating member includes first and second pneumatically driven pawls engagable with said ratchet wheel portion, one of said pawls for driving the ratchet wheel portion in one direction and the other of said pawls for driving it in the opposite direction.
 3. The improvement defined in claim 2, wherein said control panel includes first and second valves for each air operated means to control air signals for said first and second pneumatically driven pawls.
 4. The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein said rotating member of said air operated means includes a ratchet nut mounted on a threaded member and defining a stop for a quantity control member of the filling head, and said means for driving said rotating member includes first and second pneumatically driven pawls coacting with said ratchet nut, one of said pawls for driving the ratchet nut in one direction for increasing the quantity of material to be metered and the other of said pawls for driving the nut in the opposite direction for decreasing the quantity of material to be metered.
 5. The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein the movable member of said rotary union is in the form of a manifold having an elongated cylindrical surface and includes inlets connected to said control panel, axially spaced outlets along said cylindrical surface, and said stationary member includes a plurality of stacked air rings on said cylindrical surface, each air ring having an annular groove inlet in communication with one of said outlets and an outlet port connected to an air operated means of a filling head.
 6. In a rotary packaging machine including a rotatably driven turntable having a plurality of operating stations for filling containers wherein a filling head at each station is provided for metering a quantity of material into a container, each filling head including a threaded shaft and a control member movable relative to the shaft and controlling the quantity of material metered, the improvement in means for adjusting the filling head while the machine is operating to vary the quantity of material to be metered for a container, said means comprising nut means on the threaded shaft of said filling head defining a rotating stop member coacting with said control member and having first means for driving said stop member incrementally in one direction responsive to one signal to increase the material quantity to be metered and second means for driving same incrementally in the opposite direction responsive to another signal to decrease the material quantity to be metered, a control panel having manually operable selector means for producing said signals, and rotary connection means said control panel and said stop member driving means including a stationary member operably connected to said control panel and a movable member rotating with said turntable and operably connected to said first and second driving means, said rotary connection means serving to distribute signals from said control panel to one of said plurality of filling heads while said turntable is rotating.
 7. The improvement defined in claim 6, whErein said stop member includes a ratchet wheel, and said first and second driving means includes first and second pawls engagable with said ratchet wheel.
 8. The improvement defined in claim 7, wherein said first and second driving means includes pneumatically operable motors.
 9. The improvement defined in claim 8, wherein said signal producing means of said control panel includes a source of air pressure and valve means connected to the source and the said connection means.
 10. The improvement defined in claim 9, wherein said valve means include push-button actuators.
 11. The improvement defined in claim 6, wherein the threaded shaft includes a longitudinal slot and the control member includes a stop pin movable in the slot, and the adjusting means includes a pin movable in the slot and preventing relative rotation between the shaft and adjusting means.
 12. The improvement defined in claim 6, wherein said nut means includes a first generally semi-cylindrical portion having a smooth face, a second generally semi-cylindrical portion having a threaded face, and means moving said portions relative each other to cause the nut means to be in or out of threaded engagement with the threaded shaft of the filling machine. 